FRIDAY 10th DAY 7 DENMARK
Awoke to pouring rain, again. The ‘heatwave’ a distant memory, two thirds of our clothes now redundant. Headed north, the direction of our travel never in question.
The countryside still flat with haymaking in progress, still very like the south of England. I’m feeling quite nostalgic about the Jura mountains in France, my more usual summer destination.
Annie and Danielle had pinpointed a church of interest to visit. All three love church architecture though none are regular churchgoers. The small, whitewashed village church we’d come to visit was famous for the tomb of the Rosencranz family, nobility known since the fourteenth century, who’d played an important role in the official life of Denmark. (The name was known to Shakespeare, “Rosenkranz and Guildenstern”.)
The tomb, bearing the family coat of arms, and the altar were very ornate but everything else was very simple, whitewashed walls, small wooden pews painted grey and a large model ship hanging from the ceiling maybe indicating the link between the Rosenkranz family and trade.
The official religion in Denmark is Evangelical Lutheran hence the simplicity, none of the familiar Roman Catholic incense, candles, confession boxes so familiar in French churches.
A few miles down the road we found the small red brick Rosenkranz manor house in the middle of a small lake with a well laid out garden. There was nothing very striking about the house, not in good repair with a medley of different furniture from southern Europe, with one particularly attractive ‘library’. The family had its own resident artist who changed his sombre style to dramatic colours on visiting Steiner in Germany.
Now for a bit of geography. The main part of the map of Denmark, Jutland, looks a bit like a clenched fist. At Arhus we were about half way up the East coast. Now we’re heading for the northern town of Aarlborg, the second largest after the capital Copenhagen. Aarlborg marks the boundary with the northernmost island which is a National Park. To the east of Jutland are more islands, both large and small, which separate Denmark from Sweden. I hadn’t realised that there were so many islands in Denmark.
On arrival in Aarlborg we located a B&B in a quiet villa, actually a self-contained flat, the lower level of a house littered with memorabilia from travels abroad, the owners living in a separate flat upstairs. They would obviously like to talk but we were rushing to get to the Modern Art Museum before it closed.
The Art Museum looked rather like a huge white wedding cake with many windows to let in natural light. One of its three designers was the Finnish architect Alvar Alto, a ‘must see’ for my fellow travellers. Inside was very spacious with walls and floors in shades of grey and white, very restful. It’s a showplace for Danish and International contemporary art, all new to me.
Drove back into town, now very busy, and visited another old church, with a huge onion-shaped dome not unlike those in Russia, inside the ubiquitous white walls, some beautiful frescoes and another model boat hanging from the ceiling. All explanations in Danish.
We parked the car and wandered around a pedestrian precinct of narrow streets overhung with the now familiar red and white Danish flags. Most of the clothes in boutiques were young ‘international’, t shirts, shorts, jeans, apart from a large Department Store. Winter fashions were now on display in browns, reds and greens, nothing I was tempted to buy although Anne-Marie and Danielle both bought full length lightweight raincoats in unusual shades of green reduced from £120 to £20.
By now feeling very hungry we wandered in vain trying to find a reasonably priced, quiet restaurant. Hopeless, we ended up in ‘the restaurant street’, very noisy, mostly hamburgers apart from a few expensive ‘tourist’ restaurants. Finally opted for a delicious tasty ‘starter’ of dressed lobster with prawns, caviar and a great deal of bread for £8.00.
SATURDAY 11th DAY 8 DENMARK to SWEDEN
We all slept extremely well in our peaceful flat. Breakfast was the familiar selection of bread rolls, plus ham, salami, cheese with fruit and coffee.
Close to ‘our’ house was a huge open grassy area littered with small rocks overlooking the fiord, the most important Viking burial ground in Denmark including a museum. Yes, you’ve guessed, we didn’t visit it, time constraints.
So, back to the car and again drove north heading for Federikshaven, the main port in the area. The scenery finally became more undulating and the soil sandier. This is obviously a tourist area judging from the number of campsites. Not far away were the docks, we toured around for quite a while before locating the ferry to Sweden.
We quickly bought our tickets before driving on to the northernmost tip of Jutland where the calm, clear waters of the Baltic Sea to the east, met the rough dark waters of the North Sea to the west. Apparently the place where they actually meet can be vividly seen due to the sharp contrast between their waters, although the waters themselves never mingle, say the scientists. Quite a phenomenon.
We climbed over the dunes to a flat area of sand jutting into a long strip pointing far out into the sea. Some people were riding out to the very end of it in a strange navy blue cattle truck pulled by a tractor, presumably the driver had an eye on the tide.
We had an eye on our watches, just time for a quick coffee and cake, £2.00 each before heading back to the port. The ferry was large and comfortable with spacious decks outside and inside, with fruit machines, cinema, shop and restaurant to pass the three hour journey. With a flat calm sea and little wind we spent most of the voyage on deck.
After two hours at sea we began to pass lots of small rocky islands. Sweden, another country, another language, my fluency in English and French is proving useful. In the towns visited in Denmark people could often speak English but rarely French, I guess it will be the same in Sweden.
Sorry there aren’t snippets of conversation in my letter as usual. There certainly is a lot of chatter in the car but, by the time I’ve translated something of interest from the French, written it in English and returned to the French conversation, I’ve lost the thread. My admiration for professional interpreters, particularly in political situations, has increased tremendously.
Docks appeared along the coast opening into a huge fiord filled with cranes and warehouses, Gothenberg, a huge port rather like Southampton. I think it’s the main port in Sweden. We had quite a few guide books on Denmark but details of Sweden will be rather more limited. Luckily, we have the essential map.
No doubt it would have been interesting to visit Gothenberg but no time, we had the whole of Sweden to cross as soon as possible in order to reach Finland.
So, we headed east through countryside quite different from Denmark. Vast expanses of corn stretched out on either side of the road in varying shades of yellow and green, no harvest here yet. Houses, much larger than those in Denmark, were uniformly made of wood and painted dark red, a second storey often having windows in the roof. The farms were huge with lots of horses and cattle scattered here and there but not much sign of people.
We stopped in the attractive town of Lodkoping, built on either side of a river leading into a lake, very green and pretty. Dancing was taking place around a huge square rimmed with trees and flowers, the end of a week’s festivities for a porcelain festival.
Discovered that all the hotels were full but luckily found a B&B on the outskirts. (Should have mentioned that by late afternoon every day I enter a state of quiet panic, fearful that we won’t find beds for the night and will end up sleeping in the car. The others are totally optimistic that we’ll find somewhere and, so far, we have!)
The house was owned by an old couple, thought that he, 86, was going to have a heart attack lifting our luggage up his narrow staircase to the upper storey of the house, two bedrooms, a little kitchen and a toilet, virtually self-contained. Cheap at £7 but no breakfast.
We’d asked at the Tourist Office for a reasonably priced restaurant and ended up in an Italian pizzeria. Horror on getting the bill, for pizza, salad and juice we paid £9.00!
SUNDAY 12th DAY 9 SWEDEN - STOCKHOLM
We slept well but had to go out in search of breakfast. The town was as dead as most places in England on a Sunday. Luckily found a cake shop with cafeteria attached so able to get some stimulus to start the day.
Entered into conversation with a local tramp. Well, he looked like a tramp but couldn’t have been at the cost of the coffee. He spoke limited French and was very keen to increase his vocabulary. We tried to pick up a few words in Swedish, not as easy to guess the meanings as in Danish. Luckily most people that we’ve met here so far do have some knowledge of English.
Noticing a few things different from Denmark, no candles always on tables, no hedges in the fields.
Drove on into forests, hour after hour of forests, red farmhouses and houses with the occasional glimpse of a lake. The map of Sweden is rather like a lace tablecloth, almost as much water as land.
Took a break in the large town of Orebro, its main feature a hefty stone castle surrounded by a lake and some attractive old brick buildings in the centre of town. Sunday is obviously considered a day of rest in Sweden, found ourselves the only people in the smart terrace restaurant where we stopped for coffee and sandwiches.
Reinvigorated, continued east through more forests. Lots of Volvos and Saabs on the road. The scenery is certainly lacking in variety but there is more of a sense of space than in Denmark. Apparently most people live either in the big cities or towns few, apart from farmers, choose to live in the countryside. It certainly must be a lonely existence for some.
An unexpected complex network of flyovers indicated that we were nearing Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden. All eyes fixated on the map and signposts to give Anne-Marie quick lane-changing directions, difficult as the street signs were very small, almost incomprehensible. Local drivers were very short-tempered when we slowed down to check our direction.
As usual we followed the signs to the Central Station where we could always find a Tourist Office. The weather was suddenly hot and humid. There were masses of people travelling. Still a shock to see so many blonde heads though few black faces.
All youth hostels were full but luckily found a ‘cheap’ hotel, at £15 each, a room with just enough space for two bunk beds and a basin. That night it took a great deal of manoeuvering for each of us to extract night clothes and toiletries, go in relays to the bathroom, before ultimately climbing into a bunk. The owner was ‘camping’ in the kitchen with his bunk bed, a cupboard serving as his ‘office’. However, it was quiet and clean.
Now armed with tourist information and a map of Stockholm, we decided to leave the car and explore the city, ‘ fourteen islands linked by a network of roads, bridges and trains’, on foot.
Found a main pedestrian street with lots of large stores. Learned our first Swedish word – REA, written in most windows, SALE, as in Denmark but nothing enticing to buy. There were lots of young people around and, quite a surprise, several young men pushing prams. As the evening progressed, there were more men in couples and in groups.
There were glimpses of water at every street corner. We walked down one street to the water’s edge and found a huge open stretch of water, with a huge range of boats from small sailing boats to fishing, pleasure and cargo boats as far as we could see in this harbour.
We crossed over onto a small island where the original City had been founded. Along narrow cobbled streets were tall, slim houses painted in what are obviously the traditional autumnal colours of reds, oranges, creams with white framed windows, giving a very warm feeling. This is obviously the main tourist area, Burger King, Benetton and Body Shop all very evident.
But also some beautiful old churches in leafy squares with fountains, and very many restaurants. There were lots of Scandinavian tourists, also Americans and a few French but didn’t hear any English voices.
Ate at leisure and at length, at this point our feet were aching, in a harbour-side restaurant, raw salmon steaks marinated in wine, served with new potatoes in a white sauce, delicious.
Monday 13th DAY 10 SWEDEN to FINLAND
Next morning we had breakfast in a cake shop, cake and coffee £2.00, before driving in search of the Shipping Office to make reservations for the crossing to Finland. That accomplished we set off to visit another part of the city.
It was a warm, very breezy day, perfect for sightseeing. First we took a guided tour of the Town Hall, a huge, early twentieth century building modelled on mediaeval Italian architecture. We climbed the tower for a wonderful view over the City, rather like an enlarged view of Venice, before visiting the very ornate local government meeting room and the vast halls where the Nobel Prize celebrations are held, including a banqueting hall and a ballroom. Some rooms were again inspired by Italy, others by Middle Eastern architecture, apparently the architect regularly changed his style.
Enjoyed a snack in the sunshine before returning to explore more of the Old Town. Quiet squares, antique shops, elegant boutiques reminiscent of Bond Street in London, whilst other areas resembled Covent Garden filled with touristy nick-nacks.
Decided to have a cheap meal, the standard being, steak, chips garnished with a frill of lettuce and a slice of tomato, plus a drink, £9.00.
Discovered a supermarket in the basement of a large store with a huge range of fish, fresh, smoked, marinated, but other products were much the same as in Sainsbury’s. We stocked up for a snack meal later, £!0.
After shopping on Sunday evening we drove to the docks and located our ferry to Finland. A huge white ship with a blue trim and its name, SILJA (Seal) LINE, milling with people and cars. We’d arrived too late to book a cabin but found tickets for the ‘sleep-in’, rather like ‘couchettes’ or little dormitories. A long corridor was lined with cubicles, each with bunk beds at floor level plus two beds above, some holding twelve people, sometimes fewer, bring your own sheets, pillows, sleeping bags or nothing. The bunk proved to be surprisingly comfortable. Toilets and showers were available too.
Many of those carrying huge rucksacks slept on cosy armchairs, or on the thick carpet that ran throughout the ship. A few braved the fresh air and slept outside on the deck on white plastic deckchairs.
Exploring the ship we found a large duty-free shop similar to those at large airports, already crammed with people mostly buying alcohol. There was a large play area for children including a ‘pond’ filled with tennis ball-size coloured balls and a slide which small children were gleefully sliding down then jumping about in the coloured ‘water’. For older children there were games laid out on tables, and for the energetic older travellers there was a bar with disco dancing all night. We were more interested in the cafeteria and a very smart restaurant serving smorgasbord, the typical Scandinavian buffet which we’d been seeking since our arrival in Denmark.
Having explored the ship, watched darkness fall over a maze of small islands between which we were speeding, following a similarly enormous VIKING LINE ship, red and white, glowing with lights, about half a mile ahead of us. We took to our bunks.
Sweden - ferry arriving in Gothenberg.
Next Week - En Fin la Finlande -Part 3 - Finally arrive in Finland.
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